Inverness supermarket workers from Asda, Sainsbury’s, Tesco, Morrison's and the Co-op join legal fight for equal pay
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A group of workers from Inverness supermarkets have joined a legal fight for equal pay which could net each of them up to £10,000 in back pay.
A total of 38 staff from 14 stores – branches of Asda, Sainsbury’s, Tesco, Morrisons and the Co-op – in the area are making claims.
Hundreds more supermarket workers across Inverness are likely to be eligible to join the claim which is on behalf of hourly paid, store-based staff, mainly women, who claim their work is of equal value to that of workers, mainly men, who work in the supermarkets’ distribution centres.
The difference in hourly pay for a shop floor worker and a distribution centre worker at the big five supermarkets can range from £1.50 to £3.
Lawyers believe the average worker could be entitled to £10,000 in back pay covering a period of up to six years.
Leigh Day solicitors is handling claims for more than 45,000 supermarket workers nationally.
Chris Benson, who leads Leigh Day’s equal pay team, said: “Supermarket workers have been buoyed by the success of the claims by council workers. It has given them the confidence to make similar claims.
“These claims relate to work done in stores compared to work done in the supermarket distribution centres.
“Despite equal pay laws being in place for almost 50 years, our clients believe they are still unlawfully underpaid.
“Our clients believe that store and distribution jobs are equally important to the big five supermarkets and should be paid equally.
“This case is not about whether the jobs are identical or even the same; it is saying they are of equal value.”
By July 2017, £3.4 million had been paid out by Highland Council for 1464 claims, with hundreds more outstanding.
Of the many equal pay cases against councils across Britain, most notable has been that against Birmingham City Council in 2012, in which workers were represented by Leigh Day, and which resulted in a landmark ruling by the Supreme Court.
Staff who think they may be entitled to claim can visit the Equal Pay Now website.
